Hi guys have another question in regards to stroking your blade after sharpening it. Ive looked at various videos and other websites they say about 50 roundtrips is considered kind of the standard after you've competed sharpening is this to much or to little in terms of stropping
stropping blade after honing on stones
- Thread starter Newbiestraightrazor
- Start date
There is no correct number. Too many and, especially as a newbie, you encounter fatigue and risk a sloppy lap that will undo your work. Too few and you aren't going to see the benefit of stropping.
After honing, I do around 40-50 on linen, and then a few more than that (maybe 60-70) on leather. Experiment, and see what works best for you given your strop and steel.
After honing, I do around 40-50 on linen, and then a few more than that (maybe 60-70) on leather. Experiment, and see what works best for you given your strop and steel.
That is between you, the razor and the strop. (and sometimes what finishing hone you use).
Personally I do 10-20 on linen, then 30-40 leather. I used to do more, but after dialling it back I haven't noticed a difference.
I'll move this thread to the stropping section in the SR area to get more eyes on it.
Personally I do 10-20 on linen, then 30-40 leather. I used to do more, but after dialling it back I haven't noticed a difference.
I'll move this thread to the stropping section in the SR area to get more eyes on it.
30 quality laps will be better than 90 ineffective ones. That said, 50 isn't a bad place to start. As you get better at stropping you might find you can get away with less. Immediately after honing I usually do 30 on flax linen and 60-90 on leather, depending on the feel.
An easy way to test your stropping game is to pick a number, say 30. And shave half your face. Then wipe the blade off, do 20 more laps on the strop and shave the other half of your face. If you feel a difference, you've learned something, right? If you don't feel a difference you'll have learned something too: either 30 is good enough, or maybe you're not stropping effectively.
Assuming you can feel the difference between 30 and 50, the next day start with 50 and repeat the experiment. Do you feel a difference after adding another 20 laps? Maybe you will, maybe you won't. You'll find the point of diminishing returns pretty quick.
The next step would be, once you've figured out a good number of laps for you, is to pay attention to how the razor feels and sounds on the strop (assuming you're using the same razor every day, because different razors can feel and sound very different from each other). Do you notice a feedback change between the first ten laps and the last ten laps? It will be subtle, and it may take a while to really get a good read on it. Once you have that figured out you probably won't need to count, you can just strop until it feels right.
(I still count, though).
An easy way to test your stropping game is to pick a number, say 30. And shave half your face. Then wipe the blade off, do 20 more laps on the strop and shave the other half of your face. If you feel a difference, you've learned something, right? If you don't feel a difference you'll have learned something too: either 30 is good enough, or maybe you're not stropping effectively.
Assuming you can feel the difference between 30 and 50, the next day start with 50 and repeat the experiment. Do you feel a difference after adding another 20 laps? Maybe you will, maybe you won't. You'll find the point of diminishing returns pretty quick.
The next step would be, once you've figured out a good number of laps for you, is to pay attention to how the razor feels and sounds on the strop (assuming you're using the same razor every day, because different razors can feel and sound very different from each other). Do you notice a feedback change between the first ten laps and the last ten laps? It will be subtle, and it may take a while to really get a good read on it. Once you have that figured out you probably won't need to count, you can just strop until it feels right.
(I still count, though).
You'll get a million different answers. "Hone" in on what works for you.
I personally do 30-40 laps on flax and 100 leather after honing.
I personally do 30-40 laps on flax and 100 leather after honing.
Exactly, no right answer here. I do 30/50 linen/leather right off the stones.
I also say the finisher can be a factor. A coticule edge I’ll do 25 linen/cotton, 50 leather. A much sharper edge the linen/cotton doesn’t seem to matter with my edges.
You’ll figure out what works for you as said
You’ll figure out what works for you as said
Welcome to the forum!
I've struggled hard with mastering stropping over the years. I'm a late arrival at stropping prowess. For a long time I did 100 laps on a strop thinking I was accomplishing something that I hadn't completely grasped, or understood. I was doing ineffective laps. I had mastered the up and down strokes and flips, but was reluctant to use enough pressure/torque on the strop, most of my laps could be called butterfly kisses. Totally ineffective.
Not to mention I was totally freaked out by cloth component usage.
One day I wanted to try the auction score, strop that came with a razor I wanted. Horrible draw, not what I was used to. I was determined to see what would happen to my edge on the blasted, junk strop. I had inspected the edge with my $10 scope when it had come off my finisher and proceeded to strop much more aggressively than I most likely ever had before. I stropped the dickens out of it. Expecting the worst, I inspected it again......Wow! Eureka moment! Cleanest apex I had ever produced! Solved my edge longevity problems also.
I lean a lot on my $10 scope, and I've learned a lot with it. I can feel when I'm done on my finishers but I'm still don't trust my stropping to feel yet. Magnification may help you determine what works. I would think that if you are not seeing a cleaner apex after 100 strokes you need to return to the hones, with a dialed in edge, you may pull it off with 50 laps or less. Experimentation and practice will help you dial it in. Don't be afraid of the cloth component, it helps...
I've struggled hard with mastering stropping over the years. I'm a late arrival at stropping prowess. For a long time I did 100 laps on a strop thinking I was accomplishing something that I hadn't completely grasped, or understood. I was doing ineffective laps. I had mastered the up and down strokes and flips, but was reluctant to use enough pressure/torque on the strop, most of my laps could be called butterfly kisses. Totally ineffective.
Not to mention I was totally freaked out by cloth component usage.
One day I wanted to try the auction score, strop that came with a razor I wanted. Horrible draw, not what I was used to. I was determined to see what would happen to my edge on the blasted, junk strop. I had inspected the edge with my $10 scope when it had come off my finisher and proceeded to strop much more aggressively than I most likely ever had before. I stropped the dickens out of it. Expecting the worst, I inspected it again......Wow! Eureka moment! Cleanest apex I had ever produced! Solved my edge longevity problems also.
I lean a lot on my $10 scope, and I've learned a lot with it. I can feel when I'm done on my finishers but I'm still don't trust my stropping to feel yet. Magnification may help you determine what works. I would think that if you are not seeing a cleaner apex after 100 strokes you need to return to the hones, with a dialed in edge, you may pull it off with 50 laps or less. Experimentation and practice will help you dial it in. Don't be afraid of the cloth component, it helps...
30 on linen and 60 on leather. Matt (@Darth Scandalous) is right about quality strokes. Like anything, learning to strop well takes time and practice.
F
firebox
I may be the lazy one here. I've never used the linen strop (can't say why) about twenty or so passes on the leather always seems to get it done.
I only use linen after a coticule. Most of the time around 20 laps on leather is more then enough after I have honed a blade.
I did some microscope edge inspections after linen. The linen did more harm then good on highly refined edges. Coticule edges can handle it, and will improve the edge compared to leather only. That was my experience.
I might also use linen after a few shaves to get a more crisp cutting sensation.
I did some microscope edge inspections after linen. The linen did more harm then good on highly refined edges. Coticule edges can handle it, and will improve the edge compared to leather only. That was my experience.
I might also use linen after a few shaves to get a more crisp cutting sensation.
Stropping is more about technique than the strop and number of laps used. As said a lot depends on the finish off the stones, the type and cleanliness and quality of the strop.
Honing and stropping is all about making the bevels meet and refining the edge, make the edge as straight as possible.
When learning to strop and hone, the strop does not make much difference, but as you perfect your technique, the strop, (linen or leather) and the quality and condition of the strop can make a large difference in the finish quality.
A linen strop is used to clean and dry the bevels post shaving, some linen, (Flax Linen) can also add polish and keenness to an edge.
A leather strop is used to straighten the fin, actual cutting edge, and polish the bevel and edge. It is your last opportunity to polish and straighten the edge before it touches your face.
If the strop is contaminated, it contains grit of unknown size and hardness. Most folks never clean their strops, years of air born dust has landed on them and been imbedded into them by rubbing an unwashed hand on the strop, a common “hydration” technique, or myth.
If you see deep random scratches on your bevels, that is from grit, dirt on your strop, deep stria end in a chip on the edge. If the strop is not clean, you may be doing more damage than good.
Think about it, would you remove polish or wax from your cars finish with a dirty rag that has been laying around in your garage for years, or do you use a clean, soft microfiber or towel?
So, there are many factors that go into stropping and strop performance, the number of laps is just one small variable. The bottom line is stropping should be polishing the bevel and edge. The best way to determine performance is to look at the bevel and edge with magnification. It will quickly tell you if you are going in the right direction.
Personally, I believe that fewer quality laps are better than a high number of poor-quality laps. I typically do 10-15 on flax linen, and 10-15 on clean well hydrated leather.
Below are some old micrographs from Tim Zowada of one of his Timahagaine razors, the micrographs are the width of a beard hair.
Photo 1 pre stropping
Photo 2 after stropping on linen, 15-20 laps, I think. Note the polish on the bevel… and straightness of the edge.
Honing and stropping is all about making the bevels meet and refining the edge, make the edge as straight as possible.
When learning to strop and hone, the strop does not make much difference, but as you perfect your technique, the strop, (linen or leather) and the quality and condition of the strop can make a large difference in the finish quality.
A linen strop is used to clean and dry the bevels post shaving, some linen, (Flax Linen) can also add polish and keenness to an edge.
A leather strop is used to straighten the fin, actual cutting edge, and polish the bevel and edge. It is your last opportunity to polish and straighten the edge before it touches your face.
If the strop is contaminated, it contains grit of unknown size and hardness. Most folks never clean their strops, years of air born dust has landed on them and been imbedded into them by rubbing an unwashed hand on the strop, a common “hydration” technique, or myth.
If you see deep random scratches on your bevels, that is from grit, dirt on your strop, deep stria end in a chip on the edge. If the strop is not clean, you may be doing more damage than good.
Think about it, would you remove polish or wax from your cars finish with a dirty rag that has been laying around in your garage for years, or do you use a clean, soft microfiber or towel?
So, there are many factors that go into stropping and strop performance, the number of laps is just one small variable. The bottom line is stropping should be polishing the bevel and edge. The best way to determine performance is to look at the bevel and edge with magnification. It will quickly tell you if you are going in the right direction.
Personally, I believe that fewer quality laps are better than a high number of poor-quality laps. I typically do 10-15 on flax linen, and 10-15 on clean well hydrated leather.
Below are some old micrographs from Tim Zowada of one of his Timahagaine razors, the micrographs are the width of a beard hair.
Photo 1 pre stropping
Photo 2 after stropping on linen, 15-20 laps, I think. Note the polish on the bevel… and straightness of the edge.
Would this be considered a good edge? To my eye, these pictures depict a jagged edge that wouldn't shave well. At this point, I have zero experience, so I don't know one way or another, so I am asking.
This is the danger with high magnification micrographs. Zoom in close enough and you'll see something awful. The width of the picture is about the diameter of a hair, so those little jagged bits on the apex are something like 1/100 the diameter of a hair. Is that a lot? A little? I dunno but I bet it's a good edge.
Magnification is a tricky thing, you need experience to understand what you're seeing and whether it matters or not. It took me a while to know what to look for, but now I'm at the point where if it can't be seen with my Belimo 10x loupe then there's nothing there that matters. But for a long time I would look at edges through my other microscope and then compare to what I saw through the loupe.
It's nothing fancy either, literally this one: Mastermind Toys My First Duo-Scope Microscope - https://www.mastermindtoys.com/products/my-first-lab-duo-scope-microscope
It was a Christmas present for my daughter a few years ago and she got bored of it so now it lives on my honing bench. My father in law is a retired pathologist and professor who spent half his life behind medical research Zeiss and Leica microscopes, and he was impressed by the optics in it for the price.
I have a 10x loupe, so hopefully that will keep me out of trouble
